Amy - Final Voyage Logbook pages

Extract from the Logbook kept on board of the s.s “Amy” of Hartlepool, Capt. Charles Bowden commander, on the voyage from Danzic to Rotterdam with a cargo of wheat, rapseed & barley.

After having taken in at Danzic, a full and convenient cargo of wheat, the ship being in perfectly good order, properly manned, victualled and equipped we made the ship ready for sea.

1868 Sept. 5th: At 1.30 pm the pilot came on board, we unmoored the ship and proceeded to sea under variable winds and weather until,

1868 Sept. 7th: the wind light from S.S.E with hazy weather, at 0:45 p.m Svinebottom light vessel bore E by N distance 1 mile, came in a thick fog and reduced the speed to dead slow and half speed alternatively, course N.N.W. At 3 p.m. took sounding in 18 fathoms of water and put over the patent log. The weather being more clear we were running at full speed. At 2:30 p.m. we changed the course to N½W. At 4 p.m. came in thick again working the engines slow and half speed alternatively taking soundings in 20 fathoms of water, bottom of sand. At 6 p.m. we sounded in 23 fathoms of water, bottom of mud still very thick weather. At 8 p.m. took soundings in 18 fathoms. At 10 p.m. sounded in 15 fathoms.
At midnight sounded in 23 fathoms of water, bottom of sand and stone, thick weather. At 2 a.m. sounded in 27 fathoms of water, bottom of mud. At about 3:30 a.m. made broken water ahead, put the helm hard starboard and reversed the engines at full speed astern when the ship struck the ground almost immediately, the forehold filling directly afterwards with water. We then saw a light which proved to be the Winga high light. We kept the donkey engines pumping to keep the engineroom free from water, unbent both the cables, hauled them on shore and made them fast to prevent the ship from sliding down into deep water. Having sounded and found 8 fathoms of water under the ships stern, the crew was employed in making the ship ready to discharge the cargo. The captain then went off to Gotheburg in order to get assistance.

At about 11 a.m several boats came alongside and commenced to discharge the cargo by custom house authority.

1868 Sept. 8th: Commenced with light winds and moderate weather. At 4:30 p.m. the master and Lloyd’s agent came out from Gothenburg with 2 steamboats to lighten the ship and endeavour to get her off the rocks. Up til noon the ship still lay in the same position. At 10 a.m. got the tow line from the shore and two boats run out the hawser and bower anchor astern.

1868 Sept. 9th: The wind freshened which made a strong swell which caused the vessel to swing round with her stern upon the rocks when she stove in her bottom and filled her after compartments with water in consequence of which we were obliged to suspend operations until the weather moderated.

In consequence of what has happened on this voyage, and which has been impossible for me and my crew to prevent, I refer to the protest, noted by me the 7^th of this month and reserving to the owner or owners of the said ship and cargo, their rights of claiming indemnification for all losses, charges and expenses accruing from such damages, from insurers or underwriters or whomsoever else on whom the loss may justly fall, and exempt myself from all responsibility, and I request to get the truth of this statement confirmed by oath of the undersigned part of my ships crew, and to get a certificate of this declaration and protest in due form of law.

Gothenburg September 10th, 1868.
Charles Bowden - Master
Robert Hainsworth - Mate
William Robinson - 2^nd Mate
Anthony Hedley - Shipwright
Peter Willers - Seaman
John Alercer - Engineer

Ref: Gbg’s Landsarkiv, Gbg’s Rådhusrätt Bg:25 (1868)

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